Nearly 35 years after the Sports Attic opened in 1983 in Ukiah, a second rendition of the popular sports bar called Sports Attic 2 opened on 247 East Perkins Street on Monday with the goal of giving Ukiah a place and atmosphere dedicated to showing sports.

Sports Attic 2 was the brainchild of Dave Sperry, who co-owned the first bar and restaurant until he sold his share after six years. He then started working for UPS, but he always knew that if circumstances were right, he would want to bring it back. So when people approached him a couple of years ago about opening a new Sports Attic, he decided to try and make it happen. With the help of around 150 members who pitched in a one time payment, they opened the business as a co-op with the goal of running a friendly sports bar focused on the community and providing a good experience for its members and the public. Sperry says they are not focused on trying to squeeze as much profit as possible because they want to focus on giving back to the community.

Even though they just opened, they already have ideas for expansion. Tentative plans are in the works to put a beer garden in the back, complete with a putting green and a barbecue pit to make burgers and ribs. With the outdoor improvements, they plan on hosting barbecues to raise money for local organizations in the area and donate all the proceeds to them.

“It sounds funny, but we are not in it to make a profit,” Sperry said. “If we can just pay our bills and get a lot donated to the community, that’s what we are after because no one person owns it, no one person is after it.”

Sperry has already talked with Pop Warner, the Special Olympics, and people in Potter Valley trying to raise funds for their sports teams. Although he has mostly heard from sports organizations, he has also talked with non-sports organizations who want to do fundraising. He says that he wants the members to buy into the idea of spending a little money each month to help kids and to support the local community. The support from the community runs both ways. Since they announced they were opening, Sports Attic has received donations from people throughout the community who have happily donated equipment and furniture. Donations of items like the cash register, ice machines, and art have made expenses easier to handle and the opening smoother.

Rather than trying to compete with bars that stay open all night, their goal is to focus on those who want to watch the games. Their weekday hours run from around 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and they plan to close when the night games end. Their Saturday hours run from noon to 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday to cater to football. Rooms throughout the building contain movie seats, rooms with multiple televisions, a bar, video arcade games, and a sports mural of Michael Jordan. They also serve popular bar food like nachos, hot dogs, beer, and soda.

“We just wanted it to be a place where sports fans could show up, have a beer or two and a hot dog,” Sperry said.

Retiree Ralph Fimbres Jr. is one of the managers at the Sports Attic and helped manage the first Sports Attic when it opened in the 80s. He helped pick all the coloring and equipment and ordered so much stuff for the Sports Attic from Amazon that part of his daily routine involves picking up and unpacking the latest orders. He believes the Sports Attic will tap into the underserved market of dedicated sports places in Ukiah and will serve as a friendly place for those that want to enjoy a relaxed atmosphere and watch the game.

“This is all Dave’s dream. “He dreamed of a place where he was going to retire in a few years,” Fimbres Jr. said. “He wanted to have a two dollar hot dog, a two dollar beer, and see his old friends. That’s what hatched this.”

Editors note: This story has been edited to reflect corrections concerning membership payments and company profits.